


Kissing Cousins

by eirenical (chibi1723)



Category: Sono Te wo Dokero | Hands Off!
Genre: Christmas, Family Feels, Friends as Family, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Healing, Holidays, Mistletoe, Post-Canon, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 13:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13055118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi1723/pseuds/eirenical
Summary: ”Tak-kun, wake up!  It’s Christmas!”Tatsuki woke, the laughter in that last call still reverberating in his ears.  Whether the words had originated in dreams or from his gift almost didn’t matter.  What mattered was that Kotarou couldn’t have spoken them now.  He had gone home to visit his family for Christmas—responding to an invitation that Tatsuki had declined.  It was their first Christmas without their grandfather, and Kotarou had wanted as much of his family around him as he could have.For the exact same reason, Tatsuki had wanted to spend it alone.





	Kissing Cousins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hakuzo_k](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hakuzo_k/gifts).



_”Tak-kun!”_

_”Tak-kun!”_

_”Tak-kun, wake up! It’s Christmas!”_

Tatsuki woke, the laughter in that last call still reverberating in his ears. Whether the words had originated in dreams or from his gift almost didn’t matter. What mattered was that Kotarou couldn’t have spoken them now. He had gone home to visit his family for Christmas—responding to an invitation that Tatsuki had declined. It was their first Christmas without their grandfather, and Kotarou had wanted as much of his family around him as he could have.

For the exact same reason, Tatsuki had wanted to spend it alone. He’d spent Christmas Eve doing exactly what Kotarou had tried to make him promise not to do; wallowing in the silence of being left behind. He had walked around his grandfather’s house, touching everything. The frying pan still held echoes of his grandfather making eggs, French toast, okonomiyaki. The chair in the living room held echoes of the hours his grandfather had spent watching TV, yelling at the characters on the screen to not do the foolish thing they were about to do. His mug still smelled of his favorite tea. Everything Tatsuki touched in this house held memories of his grandfather, and Tatsuki would not be satisfied until he’d experienced every one of them. More than anything, Tatsuki wished those memories could bring him comfort.

They had done anything but.

Sometime after 11 and before midnight, Tatsuki had fallen into a restless slumber, regretting, just a little, that he hadn’t taken Kotarou up on his offer to join him at his parents’ house for Christmas. Maybe that was why his subconscious had kicked up this dream of Kotarou’s voice. But, it didn't matter what his subconscious thought. Memories of their grandfather would be at that house, too. At least here… at least here, he wouldn’t have to explain. He could just coexist with the ghosts and let the tears fall when they would.

“Tatsuki, come on! I did not get on a train so early in the morning for you to sleep through Christmas, you lazy asshole!”

Wait... what? That was no dream, no vision, no haunting memory. That was _real_. Tatsuki jolted upright in bed, throwing back the covers. Kotarou was standing in the middle of the room, looking like he was two steps away from going outside to get some snow to shove down Tatsuki’s shirt to aid in waking him up.

“…Kotarou? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at your parents.”

Kotarou rolled his eyes, sitting down beside Tatsuki on the bed. “I’m just where I’m supposed to be. You didn’t honestly think I’d leave you alone on Christmas, did you?”

Since that was exactly what Tatsuki _had_ thought, he prudently kept his mouth shut over that return comment. Unfortunately, he also utterly failed at thinking of anything else to say in its place. One minute rolled by, then another. Finally Kotarou leaned in and bumped Tatsuki’s shoulder with his own, a huff of laughter under his breath as he said, “Weirdo.” With that, he bounced up off the bed and started unbuttoning his coat. “Why don’t you get dressed and all while I get breakfast started? Mom sent me with plenty of goodies, even some of your favorites!”

Kotarou didn’t even wait for a response before bouncing out of the room, blithely trusting that Tatsuki would do as asked. Even as shortly ago as two months, Tatsuki wouldn’t have, but now… things were different. Tatsuki knew things now that he hadn’t known then. Kotarou had saved his life twice, had sacrificed an immense and amazing power to do so this last time. Not only that, but he had given up a very part of who he was… for Tatsuki. And Tatsuki could no longer repay that generosity with cruel indifference, especially not after Kotarou had, yet again, put himself out for Tatsuki’s sake. The least Tatsuki could do in return would be to stop wallowing in the past and try to enjoy the cheer Kotarou had brought with him.

By the time Tatsuki finished with his morning routine and made his way into the main living area, there was a huge spread of food on the table, and it was far more food than the two of them could possibly eat on their own.

“Well, well, well! Sleeping Beauty awakes! And what wonderful things that rest has done for him! At least the bags under your eyes match your sweater. Merry Christmas and heads up!”

Yuuto.

Already wincing at what he was sure to find, Tatsuki turned to look up, as instructed. Mistletoe. Turning back to face a widely grinning Yuuto, who now had a companionable arm slung over his shoulders for good measure, Tatsuki said, “I’m not kissing you.”

“No?” Yuuto’s lips fell down into an exaggerated pout at that before turning back upwards into a smirk that Tatsuki well recognized. “Well, then I guess I’ll just have to kiss you!” With that, Yuuto leaned in and pressed a brief kiss to Tatsuki’s temple, squeezing him close to whisper in his ear as he did so. “I know Christmas cheer probably isn’t your thing, but if you do anything to screw up this day with all the trouble he went through for you?” A short pause. “I will gladly kick your ass for you.”

As if he’d needed the reminder. Shaking Yuuto’s heavy-handed self off of his shoulders, Tatsuki moved in to sit down at the table in his usual place, sliding under the kotatsu's blanket to warm his chilled body. Kotarou took his usual seat, as well, leaving their grandfather’s place for Yuuto. As Yuuto sat, Tatsuki couldn’t quite help the small wince from the sight of Yuuto sitting where he still expected his grandfather to be. Of course, Kotarou caught him anyway.

A soft sigh. “I miss him, too, Tatsuki. Every day.” Kotarou reached out then, extending his hand across the table. “But even though he’s gone, we’re still here. We still have each other. And, it's weird, but… sometimes I get this strange feeling like… we almost didn’t even have that. And that’s not— I won’t have that.” Kotarou’s eyes narrowed, his fingers clutching at Tatsuki’s as he extended his hand in turn. “I almost lost you. I know I did. I don’t remember how or when, but I _feel_ that it’s true. So, I don’t care what you think; I’m not letting you go. Not again. Not ever.”

And as Kotarou’s hand tightened on his, there was a brief flicker of… something. There shouldn’t have been. Kotarou had given up his power to save him. Touching him shouldn’t have done _anything_. And this… it felt different than before. There was no fear, no pain, no sadness accompanying this image. Just warmth. Tatsuki looked up.

Kneeling just behind Kotarou, his hand outstretched to cover theirs, was a softly glowing figure. It was completely unlike the ghostly images that Tatsuki had been replaying over and over since last night. This was no recording of previous events, looping over and over like a skipping record. Tatsuki didn’t need to hear Yuuto’s soft gasp to know that that was true.

Tatsuki knew his grandfather when he saw him.

That softly glowing figure looked up from their clasped hands, then, straight into Tatsuki’s eyes. His own were crinkled shut in that gentle smile that Tatsuki had always loved to see. The figure raised one finger to his lips in the universal gesture for quiet, before lifting it higher to point at something just over Kotarou’s head.

Mistletoe.

The figure leaned down then, pressing a soft kiss onto Kotarou’s head. Moments later, Tatsuki leaned across the table to mirror the gesture, feeling the soft whisper of a ghostly hand press into his cheek as he did so. When he opened his eyes, Kotarou was blushing and stammering and whipping himself up into a frenzy of emotion that Yuuto was doing everything he could to exacerbate… and their grandfather was gone.

Tatsuki reached for the grilled fish with one hand and pointed upwards with the other. As Kotarou’s gaze followed Tatsuki’s finger, Tatsuki allowed himself one small, genuine smile. “Blame Yuuto.” As Kotarou spluttered some more, turning to punch Yuuto in the shoulder a time or six, Tatsuki’s smile widened. “And Kotarou…” Kotarou turned back, a startled smile of his own stretching across his lips as he saw the one Tatsuki hadn’t bothered to hide. “Thank you…. and merry Christmas.”


End file.
